1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front panel assembly for use on a casing body of an electronic device and a casing of a vehicle-mounted electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle-mounted electronic devices for reproducing disk-shaped recording mediums such as CDs and MDs inserted therein have been used in the art.
One known vehicle-mounted electronic device has a casing including a casing body mounted in a car dashboard or the like and a front panel assembly detachably mounted on the front face of the casing body. When the driver leaves the car, the driver removes and carries the front panel assembly for the purpose of theft prevention. For details, reference should be made to Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 9-7359.
The vehicle-mounted electronic device also has a reproducing mechanism disposed in the casing body for reproducing a recording medium. The casing body has a recording medium insertion slot defined in its front face for removably inserting therethrough a disk-shaped recording medium such as a CD or an MD. The front panel assembly has a lid for selectively opening and closing the recording medium insertion slot, various control switches, and a display panel for displaying various items of information. Even if the casing body with the reproducing mechanism housed therein is removed and stolen by someone else, it may not function as the electronic device due to the lack of the front panel assembly. In this manner, the vehicle-mounted electronic device is protected against theft.